NBA Trade Grades: 76ers snagging Tobias Harris from Clippers

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers are essentially punting on the 2018-19 season to create as much flexibility as possible for 2019-20 and beyond. Some fans and NBA pundits won’t like it, especially with L.A. currently occupying the 8-seed in the West, but it’s probably the right long-term play.

Tobias Harris was terrific for the Clippers ever since he was acquired in the Blake Griffin trade. He took his game to new heights this season, averaging a career-high 20.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting a career-high 49.6 percent from the floor and a career-high 43.4 percent from 3-point range.

Many believed he was deserving of All-Star honors despite ultimately falling short, and it must have been heart-wrenching for the fanbase to see him shipped off just hours after putting up a 34-7-5 stat line and game-winner in a comeback win over the Charlotte Hornets:

With that being said, this current roster topped out as a first round playoff exit, which Jerry West wisely recognized. Rather than give into sentimentality, re-sign Harris to a max contract this summer and thereby impede the team’s cap space for Kawhi Leonard or another star in free agency, the Clippers chose to sell high.

In the process, they not only got an impressive haul to help their rebuild, but they may have moved one step closer in their pursuits of superstars, hurting both the Toronto Raptors’ plans to re-sign Kawhi and the Boston Celtics’ offer for Anthony Davis in the process:

None of the players coming in is ready to fill Harris’ shoes or make a significant impact to help the Clips hold on for a playoff spot. Wilson Chandler hasn’t been the same this season and simply represents salary cap filler and an expiring contract.

Mike Muscala has posted 7.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 22.1 minutes per game for the Sixers this year, but their need for a backup 5 was well-documented despite his play, and he’s really just another expiring deal.

Landry Shamet and the picks are the real prize of the deal, with the rookie posting 8.3 points in 20.5 minutes per game. The 21-year-old out of Wichita State quickly proved himself as a reliable bench scorer and floor-spacer, knocking down 40.4 percent of his 4.5 long range attempts per game. That kind of young talent bolsters the Clippers’ depth for the future, or could help them enter the sweepstakes for any star player on the market.

That’s where the bevvy of picks Los Angeles just acquired comes into play. That 2021 first-rounder from the Miami Heat could be particularly valuable depending on how Pat Riley chooses to rebuild when the majority of his team’s long-term contracts come off the books.

Adding Philly’s protected 2020 first-rounder and two second-rounders stacks the deck even further, and the Clips could probably squeeze another first-rounder out of Lou Williams if need be. Los Angeles’ own 2019 first round pick that’s owed to Boston is lottery-protected as well, so with the team teetering on the edge of playoff contention, West pushed them over the edge to ensure they keep that asset too.

This deal with Philly will provide two max slots for the Clippers this summer, and they still have the resources to enter the Anthony Davis Sweepstakes if they so choose. Wojnarowski reported this deal was not made with AD specifically in mind, but it’s easy to see they now have a package that could rival that of the Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks.

Between the Heat and Sixers pick, their own lottery pick, the two second-rounders that are more valuable than expected, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Landry Shamet, Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell and plenty of contracts to serve as cap filler, the Clippers can offer an enticing blend of young talent, draft picks and established vets in a trade for Davis or another star.

There’s a scenario where the Clippers could swing a trade for the Brow, sign Kawhi and still have cap space to build around that dynamic duo. That’s obviously the best-case scenario, and nothing is guaranteed, but it’s clear this team is swinging for the fences despite intentionally striking out on the current season.

Grade: A